THE GARDEN PRIMER 



Pea blooming may be very much extended by placing 

 a mulch of fine straw or grass about the roots, keeping 

 them well watered and the blooms picked off. It is 

 well to keep in mind that sweet peas will not do well 

 planted in the same soil two years in succession. But 

 if they are desired in the same location the trench 

 method can be resorted to the old soil taken out and 

 the trench refilled with new soil and manure. Sunlight 

 and fresh air in abundance are essential to successful 

 sweet pea development. In the shade the vines will 

 make a tall growth, little foliage, and less flowers; in 

 damp places the foliage is apt to mildew and the vines 

 die off without flowering. Shade and prepare the 

 ground properly, having it in a fine loose condition, 

 putting on a liberal application of well rotted barn 

 manure, or pulverized sheep manure, before spading. 

 Use a liberal quantity of seed to make sure of a good 

 stand one ounce to fifteen feet of row is sufficient 

 and, when well started, thin out the young vines until 

 they stand from four to six inches apart. Light two- 

 inch-mesh poultry wire makes a very convenient sup- 

 port for the vines. A better and more satisfactory 

 way of supporting the vines is to drive stout round stakes, 

 four or five feet high, every four or five feet along the 

 row, and then run light jute twine from stake to stake, 

 commencing a few inches from the ground and putting 

 the twine about six inches apart on the stakes. The 

 best support for the sweet pea vine, however, is brush 

 cut from the ends of tree limbs or from young bushes, 



100 



